Fantôme La Dalmatienne (Dark) | Brasserie Fantôme

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

Reviews by ShogoKawada:

ah, the dark. review merged from the end of my dalmatienne light review:

update- drinking the amber, it's miles apart from the golden.

Malty, sweet dark fruit, a bit of pepper. Not much funk. Very sweet, but I like it. The nose on this one is like tropical fruit punch! I taste hints of blueberries and strawberries as it warms. The jammy fruit aspect is very odd but I like it. Lively mouthfeel.

I liked the 'light' more.. this one's very easy to drink and has nice carbonation but the other one had a ton of signature fantome funk and a nice sourness. The blonde was almost flat as well. A totally different beer, almost on opposite ends of the spectrum.

More User Reviews:

Best before July 2014. 1 pint 9.4 fl oz green glass bottle with pressure cap sealed over an internally housed acquired at a nearby bottle shop for $22.00 (about $7.00 more than I usually pay for Fantome in SoCal) and served into a New Belgium stem-goblet in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Expectations are through the roof as I usually love Fantome.

Imported by the Shelton Bastards. No wonder it's so pricey. 8% ABV confirmed.

Served following a warming period following its removal from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a three finger light khaki colour head of great cream, brilliant froth, fantastic thickness, and incredible retention for the 8% ABV (~8+ minutes). Quite impressive. The body colour is a vibrant if understated caramel amber-brown. (Mahogany for the pretentious). Nontransparent and opaque. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Very appealing for a saison. I'm getting excited.

Sm: Holy shit that's fantastic. Bright evocative fruits and fermented sugars. Cream, brown sugar, ripe cherries and berries, spicy biscuity yeast, raisin, light vine, caramel, candi sugar, and more of that luxurious fermented fruit. I can't pin down exactly which fruits, but it's not the dark fruit of a quad or dubbel. Definitely rich raspberry. Heavy biscuit malt, with some other perfectly selected grains there as well. It's exquisite. Perfect. I can't imagine it being any better. I cannot wait to try this. The best aroma I've experienced in probably the last six months. Strong, rich, and luxurious. Possess incredible elegance, subtlety, and complexity.

Mf: Creamy, coarse, tingly, and wet. Smooth up front to welcome you in. Feels custom-tailored to the flavour profile. Very well executed. Perfect carbonation. Ideal palate presence, allowing all the subtlety to come through.

Dr: Extremely drinkable for the high ABV - which never comes through in the flavours. A home run from Fantome. Perhaps the best saison I've ever had. I'll have no trouble finishing this bottle by myself. Worth the $22 I paid for it. The best beer I've had from Fantome to date. Pick up a few bottles for the cellar; this one comes highly recommended.

A 750ml green glass bottle with a BB of Dec 2018. Acquired ages ago from the Brewdog webshop. Sealed with a cap & cork; opens with a significant pop. The label doesn't give much away, except to mention that the ingredients include spices.

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A rich marmalade-orange hue with good carbonation and some floating sediment (much hazier on the second pour). Produces a large head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a minute or so before collapsing and dissipating.

S: Aroma of tart fruitiness with hints of funky saison yeast, sharp fruit, earthiness, hay, subtle herbs, a twinge of spice and a musty, vinous quality that lingers. Perhaps a touch of oxidation. Complex and intriguing but hard to place - this beer defies easy categorisation.

T: Tastes of musty yeast and tart fruit, with notes of earthiness, subtle barnyard funk, hay, mild grainy malt, a vague lactic sourness, faint herbs and a whisper of spice. Very dry, with little bitterness to speak of. Yeasty and vinous upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is tingly and bone-dry, with spritzy carbonation and good body for the style. Quite astringent. Aftertaste of tart fruit notes, earthy yeast, funkiness and faint herbs.

O: Charismatic but difficult to pin down. Perhaps that's the idea. Looks good, while the aroma and flavour are sharp, yeast-laden and funky, with hints of fruit and herbs. Nice body for the style. More acidic and vinous than a typical saison, but with more character. It's difficult to know what the brewer was aiming for, but the result is certainly unique. Worth sampling if you come across it.

750 mL green glass bottle with cap and cork served around 55 degrees into a goblet.

The Dalmation is unusually dark for the style, more of a redish brown color than a golden yellow. Slightly hazy appearance with fizzy off-white head. It settles slowly but doesn't leave any lacing.

Aroma is really stiking and very enjoyable. There is a distinct cherry smell mixed with apples and plums. It has a little of that sour yeasty funk and spice but it's the fruitiness that makes it truly unique.

The flavor is wonderfully complex yet perfectly balanced. There is sweetness up front, a little fruit like in the aroma, then a big spicy hit of pepper in the middle, and finally a very dry finish. It has layers of nuances that seem to unravel as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel is light in body and well-carbonated. The alcohol is evident but not strong. Great balance but very dry.

Overall another fantastic beer from Fantome. I always hesitate to pay the $15 for their beers but I never regret it once it's in my glass.

Poured from a 750ml into my Stone IRS tulip. (Dated Best Before July, 2014). Pours a slightly hazy amber color (not what I was expecting) and about 3/4 finger of off-white head. A whole bunch of persistent little bubbles keep rising to keep the film alive. Laces very nicely. Really interesting smells going on. A slight sulphur and skunk smell up front. Then there's a really interesting funkiness (much like a Flanders red). A little sweet and sour sauce action up my nose. Tart cherry. On the palate, very unique. Maybe some bell pepper/cucumber/apple combination. Grassy. Very very bitter finish. It lingers for a long while and seems to grow almost to an unpleasant level. Almost like chewing on grapefruit pith. Very different. Mouthfeel is very drying, prickly bubbles. Incredibly unique beer. Glad I got to try this one.

S - !!!! Strawberries, raspberries, light background malts. Really just a burst of fruity aromas. Slight hay and Saison spices. I had the aroma higher, but after a few minutes the smell took on a dirty, musty, sandy water aroma.

T - Tart, unnamed fruity malts upfront, then the raspberry comes through. Some of the traditional Saison spices as well as hay appear in the back 1/2. Mild fruity tartness is from start to finish; nothing abrasive, but like a near-ripe strawberry and raspberry coming together. Nearly perfect.

M - Medium, thicker for the style.

O - I was thoroughly impressed. I didn't expect so much fruit, or any fruit, at all. Strawberries take off and then raspberries take over. This reminds me in some ways of their classic Saison. I'd have to do some digging to find who sent this to me, but I'm beyond thankful. Simply amazing, now I need to pour the rest and take the dogs outside on this hot day.

EDIT - Fantome has been known for batch/bottle variation. After reading some reviews below, I'm certain that this is a great example of the variation.

Ok you Fantôme there. Last time we met, things didn't go so well. There was so much potential, so much anticipation, yet my heart was crushed. I vowed that if we ever were to meet again, it better not hurt. For I sensed so much promise but you let me down. We're gonna try this one more time you and I.

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Best before July 2014 with a cork in the bottle. Cork pops with LOTS of pressure, WOAH there now, don't be angry at me. I know I didn't get along with you last time but let's be friends now, I am trying again to make this work. I've invested a lot here financially and emotionally in this union don't start off like this ok?!. I notice some slow crawling foam wanting to come out. The bubbles are all nice and pin head sized.

Slow decant, and then some faster down the middle pour produces a light caramel colored and very soapy head, that dissolves quite quickly. Body color is a dark indian red brown a little cloudy, kind of a nice red chestnut, very nice. Soapy collar left. Not that impressive but good enough, ok we're trying here this is a good effort.

Mild brett funk it seems at first, but never returns, proceeding with a large somewhat thick molasses aftertaste. Mild caramel in the front palate turns to sensing prickly carbonation. Chewy dark fruits of dates, currants, with a light bodied feel, but then a large tannic tongue smashing on the middle and raisin raisin RAISINS come out in abundance. Dancing prickly tongue with an almost watery feel and mild carbonation but no gaseous feeling. No sense of alcohol heat. Warming up quinine becomes more of a flavor to come.

Overall I was real scared to go back to Fantôme there, Belgian "Dark" specifically doesn't always jive for a fav style of mine, but this is something real special, very unique, never tasted anything quite like it. I am glad to see you and I Mr. Casper ghost staring at me so evilly are seeing eye to eye now. I worked real hard to make this relationship work you know. Glad to see your true colors and that I don't have to fight like this so much again, you're not exactly cheap where I live either. I would really love to try the light I guess Blonde version of this. We will meet again in earnest. Adieu.

Poured from a capped 750mL bottle into my tulip glass. The bottle says "Belgian Blond Ale," so I am not sure that this should be called a saison.

When poured with a delicate touch, a big and ample 2-finger head collects atop the caramel coppery body of the beer, even as the beer doesn't reach the convergent/divergent transition in my tulip. Even after the head subsides, a quick swirl recreates the creamy cap that appeared after the pour. Lacing is spritzy and comes in little groups of spotty bubbles.

The aroma is full of brettanomyces funk, but it is unique in my experience, as La Dalmatienne is also characterized by a sweet maltiness in the smell. Sour cherries also come along for the ride. Digging deeper, other fruity esters come through - apricot and pears mainly. There is also, obviously, that barnyard scent that Fantome does so well. The palate brings on a big malty sweetness that is nicely balanced by the bretty funk and slight sourness. The sourness isn't acidic, and is very pleasant. The fruity esters really add a lot to the beer, and they make the malty sweetness find its place nicely.

The mouthfeel is full, but still lightly carbonated, even though there are tons of bubbles that seem to impregnate the entire body. There is a creamy quality to the finish, and the fruity esters and sweetness linger on the palate.

Taste: Light and fruity just like the smell. I would have liked the taste to be a tad fuller. Fruity up front with some berries and a slight tartness. I keep thinking I'm getting some bubble gum. The finish is just little bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with fluffy, tingly carbonation and a very dry finish.

Overall: Another solid offering from this brewery. I enjoyed the fruity notes, but there wasn't quite enough to back it up. I would have another.

T- Similar to the nose but with more spice and a bit less fruit. The base has a solid Belgian Strong Dark feel. The unnamed fruit, lemon zest, floral lavender, slight hay barnyard, caramel, oak and raisin make for a complex experience.

MF- Fizzy bodied with high, silky carbonation. Some spice bitterness.

A very interesting, unique beer with flavors I have a hard time putting into words. Great fruit with a good Belgian Strong Dark base.

T/M-Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and a dry, hoppy finish. Fairly nondescript. Tastes like a Belgian amber spiked with saison yeast. Dry, earthy hoppiness brings the finish to a screeching halt, obliterating everything that came before it.

O-Not one of Fantome's best. I've come to expect great things from this brewery, as almost everythihg I've had from them has been creative, complex and packed to the brim with funk. This was bland in comparison.

Bottle at a recent Fantome mega-tasting. Served in a Fantome tulip. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a hazy dark brown with a thin tan head. The nose has a light chocolate character with a bit of roast and earth. Some herbal character there as well. The flavor is full of chocolate with light herbal spices and roast. Finish is dry. The herbal character is odd here. Light body with moderate carbonation. Decent enough, but an off finish.